Visaginas Proposes ‘revival’ Street Name Following Court Order to Remove ‘Soviet‘
Visaginas, Lithuania – September 17, 2024 - Following a Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania (SACL) ruling, the Visaginas Municipality has proposed renaming Soviet Street to Revival Street. The decision comes after a protracted legal battle initiated by Arūnas Bubnys, director of the Lithuanian Center for Genocide and Resistance Research (LGGRTC), who argued the name promoted a totalitarian regime.
The LGGRTC initially ordered the municipality to remove the name in September 2023, citing the street’s direct association with the Soviet system and its controlling Communist Party. The municipality disagreed, appealing to the courts and arguing the term “Soviet” is also used to describe governing bodies and doesn’t inherently promote totalitarian ideologies, referencing definitions in the Lithuanian dictionary. They further contended the name did not violate Lithuanian law.
However,the SACL issued an undisputed order in July 2024 affirming the name’s connection to totalitarian and authoritarian regimes. The court highlighted that the Soviet Union was officially known as the Soviet Union of Socialist Republics or the Soviet Union, solidifying the link.
The municipality also unsuccessfully appealed requests to rename Veteran street and Partisan Street to better reflect Lithuanian history. While the Regional Administrative Court granted those requests in May 2024, it rejected the appeal to preserve Soviet Street.
The legal proceedings stem from a law enacted in May 2023 prohibiting the promotion of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes in public spaces, mandating the removal of associated symbols, including street names. A final decision on the proposed renaming of Soviet Street to Revival Street will be made at the Council meeting on September 18.
